In the April, 2006 issue of Vanity Fair, Natalie Portman reveals why she’s not as much of a paparrazi target as LaLohan and Paris. Portman is, in fact, thoughtful and studious. She’s careful not to wear diamonds or animal products, and drives a Prius. She also prefers books to television:

Portman is a Harvard graduate and reportedly speaks five languages. I don’t really believe it, though. I have a friend who speaks four languages and she’s always getting confused. (She actually super-smart and I’m just jealous of her.)

You can read the entire VF article with pictures at Just Jared

Everyone’s seen the video of Portman rapping on SNL. Here’s a Japanese TV commercial she stars in for shampoo that aired between 2003-2004. It’s got a sword-fighting theme and she’s a little fierce, in a non-threatening way.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are supposed to be planning a wedding that will take place next week on a boat in the middle of Italy’s Lake Como near George Clooney’s villa:

This sounds rather far-fetched, considering that George Clooney seemed earnest when he said in an appearance on “Larry King Live” on 2/16/06 that the couple had not asked him to use his villa for a wedding. He also said he was friends with Pitt but that they weren’t very close:

From what Clooney said, (and Clooney is always right) it sounds like the tabloids just make this shit up. It makes no sense that Brad and Angelina would choose to get married on a boat in the middle of the lake near a villa that an aquaintance owns. It’s pretty stupid, actually.

Picture [via]

Pitt was the face of Edwin Jeans, the “Levis of the East,” from 1996 to 1999. He has appeared in Japanese ads for the Toyota Prius and for coffee, but only lent his fame to one US ad – a Heineken commercial for the 2005 Super Bowl.

Ben Affleck appears in a mildly funny new ad airing in England for a spray deodorant called “Lynx.” In the commercial he carries around a little counter which he uses to count off every glance he gets from admirers around town. At the end of the commercial he’s bested by a scrawny-looking guy who uses the deodorant.

We hope Ben gets some film work soon. [via]

Less than 100 people had viewed this before we linked it, and there are no clicks from other sources, so you get to see it here first.

Britney Spears does not know how to cut her losses. Instead, she’s attempting to miminize them by putting Kevin on a budget:

Page Six goes on to quote a source that witnessed Britney screaming at Kevin on her cell phone for not visiting her all day.

Obviously things are strained between Britney and Kevin. There’s also been a lot of speculation that she’s pregnant. The latest news is that she told someone at the Four Season’s spa that she’s pregnant and that she cancelled a photoshoot because of her growing midsection.

While some call the latest photos of Britney in a bikini inconclusive, a video of Britney walking in Hawaii on March 4th shows the pop star with a discernable bump as she moves around:

TMZ gets to the bottom of recent reports that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are secretly married. According to eagle-eyes at the gossip site, the pair were seen wearing rings on their thumb and middle finger. They know that everyone is scrutinizing their every move and just want to keep us guessing. We’re sure it was Angie’s idea – everything is. These are the revealing pictures from TMZ’s report.

Here are some quick E! News highlights from Angelina’s Nightline interview from early February. It also gives some background on what Angelina and Brad go through on an average day out. The whole Nightline interview is also available as a four-part series. Just search on “Angelina Nightline” at YouTube

Here’s an incredible video of the opening Simpsons credits filmed with real people. It’s meant to publicize the 17th season:

Paula Abdul has been visibly intoxicated on American Idol for at least two seasons now. In some of last season’s auditions, Abdul’s slurred comments are edited down to the bare minimum, and the camera spends very little time on her. Trying to fend off rumors of drug abuse, Paula released a statement in April of last year that she was suffering from a rare neurological disorder that causes burning pain, Complex regional pain syndrome. Here’s what she said at the time:

Notice the distinction Paula makes between taking something for medical and recreational purposes. She never said she doesn’t take drugs, she just said that she doesn’t think she’s addicted and implied that if she is on medication, she needs it for medical reasons.

A year later and Paula’s condition doesn’t provide enough of an excuse. People think she needs to sober up before she goes on live TV, and newspapers are buzzing about her ridiculous behavior:

She went on to mumble something about a fortune cookies, a moth, cornflake, and a melon. This is true.

All of this comes on the heels of Paula’s breech of security at LAX.

Defamer has video of Paula’s breakdown on American Idol, and here’s a clip of a saner, buffer judge as Barry Bonds impersonates Paula Abdul.

The NY Times predicts the Oscar winners using the categories “Conventional Wisdom,” “Underdog,” “Wildcard,” and “Bagger.” The rating system is a bit convoluted, with the first three categories independent of the last.

Best Picture:
Conventional Wisdom: Brokeback Mountain
Underdog: Crash
Wildcard: Good Night and Good Luck
NYT Predicted Winner (Bagger): Crash

Best Actress:
Conventional Wisdom: Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line
Underdog: Felicity Huffman – Transamerica
Wildcard: Keira Knightly – Pride and Prejudice
NYT Predicted Winner (Bagger): Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line

Best Actor:
Conventional Wisdom: Philip Seymour Hoffman – Capote
Underdog: Heath Ledger – Brokeback Mountain
Wildcard: Terrence Howard – Hustle and Flow
NYT Predicted Winner (Bagger): Philip Seymour Hoffman – Capote

Supporting Actor:
Conventional Wisdom: George Clooney – Syriana
Underdog: Paul Giamatti – Cinderella Man
Wildcard: Jake Gyllenhaal – Brokeback Mountain
NYT Predicted Winner (Bagger): George Clooney – Syriana

Supporting Actress:
Conventional Wisdom: Rachel Weisz – The Constant Gardner
Underdog: Amy Adams – Junebug
Wildcard: Michelle Williams – Brokeback Mountain
NYT Predicted Winner (Bagger): Rachel Weisz – The Constant Gardner

See more predictions in their pop-up graphic (warning: this link will initally resize your screen, but it is easily maximized again.)

And if you missed Reese’s Oscar-worthy performance, here’s a clip from “Walk the Line” with June telling Johnny off for partying too much: